Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yan Liqiang thought that some kind of difficult challenge would be waiting for him on the fourth floor. He would not be surprised even if there were venomous bugs or ferocious beasts. When he saw that there was only an old man waiting there, Yan Liqiang looked at him in a daze and then rubbed his eyes, unable to react in time.
That old man wore white linen robes and his silvery-white hair and beard were tangled together, giving the impression of Dumbledore from ‘Harry Potter’. There were three desks surrounding the old man and stacks of books piled on top of them. This scene reminded Yan Liqiang of the desks that belonged to the students who were cramming before their college entrance examinations.
The old man sat on a cushion, cross-legged, enjoying the book he was reading. He was deeply engrossed as if he had not noticed that Yan Liqiang had appeared on the fourth floor.
“Cough…” Yan Liqiang coughed…
After a few seconds, the old man did not show any reaction…
“Cough… cough…” Yan Liqiang coughed louder two times…
After a few seconds, the old man still did not move. His head was still lowered, reading the book he was holding…
Yan Liqiang finally could not hold it in any longer. He took two steps forward and called out loudly, “Senior…”
“Ah…” The old man seemed to be startled as his hand trembled and he dropped the book he was holding. Only then did he look at Yan Liqiang curiously, pointing at him, “You… you… How are you already here…”
“Senior thinks that I shouldn’t be here?” Yan Liqiang smiled and asked.
“It’s too fast. How can you be so fast? How long has it been? It hasn’t even been one day. How are you already here?”
“The reason I came up is naturally because I’ve cleared the three stages below!”
“Too fast, too fast. Other people take at least two to three days to come here. You’re the fastest person I’ve met to arrive here so early…”
Yan Liqiang smiled and walked up to the old man’s desk. He bowed toward the old man, “How should I address Senior?”
The old man stared at Yan Liqiang and looked at him seriously. He then scratched his messy hair and wore a contemplating expression. “I can’t even remember my name. I recall that my surname might be Yun. Yes, that’s right, my surname is Yun. What’s the rest… Aiya, it’s been a very long since someone called me by my name, so I’ve forgotten it. I’m the Divine Sword Sect’s enshrined existence, a person who likes books. Anyway, the name is really not important. You can just call me Yun Aishu [1]…”
When the old man was talking, Yan Liqiang kept on sensing his aura. At the beginning, Yan Liqiang thought that this old man was some hidden expert from the Divine Sword Sect, but after carefully sensing him, he discovered that this old man did not seem to exude the aura and disposition that only experts would have. This surprised Yan Liqiang. He had no idea if there was a problem with his senses or if this old man was not an expert to begin with. He merely looked at the old man and saw that he did not seem to be putting up an act and appeared to be very sincere. The old man gave himself a name just because he did not remember it. Yan Liqiang felt that the old man was quite cute…
“What enlightenment does Senior Yun have to bestow upon me?”
“Enlightenment… Oh, I remember it. Yes, there is. The reason I’m here is so that I can give you a test. You can only have the rights to head upstairs after clearing my test. If you can’t…” The old man pointed to a bookshelf, “There’s a secret manual in the box that’s placed at the bottom of that bookshelf. You can take that and leave!”
“What does Senior wish to test me on?”
“Of course it’s something that hasn’t been tested on the first, second, and third floors!” The old man rolled his eyes, got his act together, and there was a shadow of a smile on his face. “Don’t look down on it. Over the past eighty or so years, as long as people enter the Sword Cavern, I’ve been the one who has been guarding this insurmountable stage. Countless young talents from the Divine Sword Sect have been stuck at this stage. Only a few can head up to the fifth floor or higher. The reason this stage is on the fourth floor is naturally because it’s a lot more difficult than the test on the third floor.”
“Senior, don’t worry. Even if I don’t go up, I won’t blame Senior for it. I’ll only blame myself for not having learned my skills well enough!”
“Of course you can only blame yourself. You can’t possibly blame me, can you?” The old man let out a snort, “Are you ready? If you are, then I’ll give you the test!”
Yan Liqiang took in a deep breath, “Senior, please give me the test!”
“Alright!” The old man took a look at Yan Liqiang, rolled up his sleeves, and took in a deep breath. Just as Yan Liqiang secretly put up his guard and thought that the old man was going to perform some great skill, the latter lowered his head, looked through the pile of papers under the desk, took one out, and handed it to Yan Liqiang. “Get this question right first!”
Yan Liqiang blinked, then blinked again. He thought that he had heard wrong, but when he heard the old man urging him on, he took the piece of paper from him.
There was only a line written on that piece of paper—— The goat heads up the mountain, the mountain touches the goat’s hooves, baa baa baa.
“Senior, are you asking me to complete the couplet?”
The old man nodded seriously, “Mmm, this is only the first question. There’s a desk there with brush and ink. Write your answer on this piece of paper and then bring it over. You can think about it slowly. I don’t care how many days you take, but it must be neat and orderly. In addition, your handwriting mustn’t be too ugly. Only then will I let you pass this!”
“This is the test for this stage?” Yan Liqiang did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“What do you know? Do you think that this is easy?” The old man blew at his mustache and glared at Yan Liqiang while starting to shake his head, “The world in the words is big, the days in the books are long. If you only practice martial arts and are not savvy in literacy, then you’ll just be a mere warrior and won’t go far on your cultivation path. Literacy and martial arts are like yin and yang; they compliment each other. The people who have made it big in the history of the Silver Continent were all people who were well-versed in literacy. Many Grandmasters who are well-known throughout the world have their own poems and articles passed down. If you wish to head upstairs, then you must clear this stage!”
Yan Liqiang did not argue after listening to the old man. He merely replied in agreement, picked up that piece of paper, and headed to the table the old man pointed to. He placed the paper onto the desk, thought about it for a few seconds, then picked up the brush, poured some water, and ground some ink. He then wrote the second part of the couplet on the paper.
Yan Liqiang had spent great effort in practicing the regular Yan calligraphy script. Therefore, his handwriting would not be too ugly.
The first half of the couplet was: The goat heads up the mountain, the mountain touches the goat’s hooves, baa baa baa.
Yan Liqiang’s reply for the second part of the couplet was: The buffalo enters the water, the water drowns the buffalo’s horns, moo moo moo.
After Yan Liqiang finished writing, he waited for the ink to dry before he brought the paper to the old man and handed it over respectfully, “Senior, please have a look!”
“So fast…” That old man had only picked up the book and read two pages when he noticed that Yan Liqiang had finished his first question. He put down the book he was holding and took the ‘test paper’ from Yan Liqiang’s hands.
“Good handwriting!” The old man could not help but praise Yan Liqiang when he saw his handwriting. Then, after reading Yan Liqiang’s answer for the second part of the couplet, he nodded, “Not bad, not bad. It’s very neat.”
“Senior, did I pass this question?” Yan Liqiang asked.
“You’ve passed this question. I didn’t expect for you to be well-versed in literacy despite your young age. It’s very rare, very rare indeed!” The old man nodded in approval.
“Senior, can I head up now?”
“Haha, how can it be so easy? This is just the first question!” The old man said this and immediately felt very spirited. He put down his book, stood up, and walked out from the three desks to where Yan Liqiang had written his answer. He took out a piece of paper from under the desk and placed it on the table. Then, after thinking for a short moment and throwing a glance toward Yan Liqiang, he wrote a line on that piece of paper—
——Staying temporarily in this mountain, where several mus of uncultivated lands lay, with poems and books in accompaniment, watching the plowing of the clouds and rain during the day, leading a life that’s happy as a celestial’s;
“Try to match the first part of this couplet…” After saying this, the old man handed the brush to Yan Liqiang.
This question was a lot harder than the previous one. However, Yan Liqiang took the pen, gave it some thought, and then wrote down his answer.
——Forgetting of worldly concerns of the secular world, where three old houses sit, with the rosy dawn as a friend, occasionally admiring the wind and the moon, free and unfettered as an old urchin [2];
When the old man saw Yan Liqiang’s reply, he was stunned for a moment before he clapped his hands and laughed out loud. “Your answer is excellent, excellent. I like it a lot. I didn’t expect for there to be such a remarkable person like yourself in the Divine Sword Sect. Hahahaha…”
